Rap Star to Perform at EliteXC Show

EliteXC are pulling out all the stops to make Elite Xtreme Combat: Kimbo vs Tank an event to remember - with big name entertainers both inside and outside the cage.

Pitbull, a hugely popular, gold-selling Miami-based hip hop superstar, will perform during EliteXC’s highly anticipated Elite Xtreme Combat: Kimbo vs Tank Mixed Martial Arts event in Miami, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 16, at BankUnited Center at the University of Miami.

The main event will feature Miami’s Internet legend, Kevin Ferguson, against MMA pioneer and fellow street brawler, David "Tank" Abbott, of Huntington Beach, Calif., but the opportunity for the hometown fans to witness live the extraordinarily talented Pitbull is worth the price of admission.

Since he burst on the national scene as a featured performer on Lil Jon’s double platinum selling album Kings of Crunk in 2002, the phenomenal Pitbull has had three smash albums - his gold-selling debut M.I.A.M.I (2004), El Mariel (2006) and the recently released The Boatlift (2007).

The Boatlift showcases Pitbull’s lyrical prowess as he crusades through 18 tracks penning clever and captivating rhymes on each song.

Pitbull has created an incredibly diverse album ranging from R&B-influenced sounds like the first single "Secret Admirer" featuring Lloyd, to hypnotic club banger “Go Girl” teaming with Trina and Young Boss, and current Afro-Cuban melodic single “The Anthem” with a bombastic chant by Lil Jon. "The Anthem" is No. 15 on the Top 40 Rhythm chart and breaking big on Mainstream Top 40 (Pop) radio.

Cuban-American MC Pitbull surpassed gold status for more than 500,000 copies sold of his debut album M.I.A.M.I.: Money Is A Major Issue in the United States. The accomplishment gave Pitbull the biggest-selling bilingual hip-hop debut since Cypress Hill’s 1991 self-titled debut, and put him in the rare category of Latino rappers who have achieved major success in English-language radio. In addition to being the No. 1 Latin artist on MySpace, Pitbull unleashed his sophomore album El Mariel in late 2006 spawning the No. 1 Latin Rap hit, "Dime".

There is a long running association between rappers and fight sports. At Cage Rage, in London, England; a number of fighters have been accompanied to the cage by rappers.

In a long-awaited, much-anticipated grudge match that figures to be an absolute slugfest, the incredibly popular pride of Perrine, Fla., and hometown hero, Kevin Ferguson, will face David "Tank" Abbott, of Huntington Beach, Calif, in the main event of Elite Xtreme Combat: Kimbo vs Tank.

It will be the second professional MMA fight for Kimbo, the legendary Internet street fighter and Internet sensation who scored a smashing 19-second, first-round knockout in his Street-to-Elite debut.

“With these hands I can part the sea. With these hands I feed the family,’’ Kimbo said.

Tank, of Huntington Beach, Calif., is a feared knockout artist and notorious bad boy and trash-talker. A veteran who has never turned down a fight, Tank has called out Kimbo on numerous occasions, including after Kimbo’s EliteXC and MMA debut in November. Tank is supremely confident he will send home Kimbo and his fans unhappy.